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The Duke must fire all the Pirates players

Irvin Khoza, AKA The Iron Duke of South African football, must show his might and just fire the entire Orlando Pirates squad.

The current crop of players has brought enough embarrassment to The Buccaneers and surely do not know the meaning of wearing the black and white strip as well as how symbolic the cross bones and skull emblem is.

The latest defeat to SuperSport United in the Nedbank Cup final is proof that these players don’t care a hoot for the club’s reputation or even serious about their own careers.

It is not just that they lost to United, but the manner in which they did so.

A 4-1 drubbing in a cup final is totally unacceptable!

Worse still, this happened against a club that beat them 6-1 previously in the same season.

And it does not end there. The club is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year and they have been left with nothing to celebrate as this has turned out to be one of their worst seasons.

There are so many players out there who are dying to pull on the black and white colours of The Sea Robbers.

Many a times - more especially in South African football - when a club does badly, there are cries of “the coach must go.”

But we rarely put the blame on the players. Sometimes it is difficult for a coach because his work ends when he gives the final instructions before kick-off and can also rectify some mistakes at half-time.

However, in this instance, I put the blame squarely on the players. They have failed to show commitment and dedication to their job. Let alone the rumours of a drinking culture and ill-discipline among Pirates players that keep on swirling about.

Also, remember that Swede Kjell Jonevret who is the current mentor was brought in after Turkish coach Muhsin Ertugral jumped ship in a huff.

Still remember why Ertugral ran? Well, it was after a 6-1 drubbing by the same SuperSport.

So the players, who are currently employed by Pirates, need to undergo a very deep introspection and decide by themselves if they really do deserve to play for a club with such a rich history as Pirates.

Most of the current crop of players cannot even hold a candle to the cream of the crop mentioned above.Some could not even be given their soccer boots to carry.

I say that it’s time for a huge clearance sale at Pirates. It is time to build a new Orlando Pirates that the likes of founders like Sam “Baboon Shepherd” Shabangu, great players Isaacs “Rocks Mothei and Eric “Scara” Sono would be proud of wherever they are.

Currently I think they are rolling in their graves.

This must be one of the greatest challenges for The Iron Duke. Let’s see how he handles this one.